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Comparison · 2 models · Updated Oct 4, 2026

o4-mini-deep-research vs Qwen2.5-VL 7B Instruct

o4-mini-deep-research comes out ahead, 49 to 40 on our weighted score.

  1. Our pick

    OpenAI

    o4-mini-deep-research

    Released Jun 26, 2024

    49/100
    • ECI—
    • Price—
    • Context200K
  2. Alibaba (Qwen)

    Qwen2.5-VL 7B Instruct

    Released Sep 2024

    40/100
    • ECI—
    • Price$0.35 / $1.05
    • Context131K
  3. Add a model

    Make it a three-way comparison.

01 — Verdict

o4-mini-deep-research is our pick

o4-mini-deep-research is the better all-round choice, scoring 49/100 against Qwen2.5-VL 7B Instruct (40). It leads on inputs & features and context window. The score weighs inputs & features 60%, context window 40%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.

  • CapabilityNot enough dataNo independent benchmark covers every model here yet
  • Lowest priceQwen2.5-VL 7B InstructQwen2.5-VL 7B Instruct $0.525 per 1M tokens (3:1 blend) · o4-mini-deep-research unpriced
  • Longest contexto4-mini-deep-researcho4-mini-deep-research 200,000 · Qwen2.5-VL 7B Instruct 131,072 tokens
  • Widest inputsSame inputso4-mini-deep-research: Text, Images · Qwen2.5-VL 7B Instruct: Text, Images
  • Self-hostingQwen2.5-VL 7B InstructPublishes downloadable weights
How the score is built
MeasureWeighto4-mini-deep-researchQwen2.5-VL 7B Instruct
Inputs & features60%6050
Context window40%3224
Overall100%49/10040/100

Left out because at least one model lacks the data: capability and price. The remaining weights were rescaled.

02 — Side by side

Every spec in one table

Highlighted cells lead their row. Dashes mean the data is not published.

o4-mini-deep-research vs Qwen2.5-VL 7B Instruct specifications side by side
Specificationo4-mini-deep-researchOpenAIQwen2.5-VL 7B InstructAlibaba (Qwen)
Capability
Capabilities Index (ECI)——
ECI rank——
Price per million tokens
Input—$0.35
Output—$1.05
Cached input——
Blended (3:1)—$0.525
Long-context rate—Same rate
Price source—Official Alibaba API
Limits
Context window200,000 tokens (best)131,072 tokens
Max output100,000 tokens (best)8,192 tokens
Inputs and features
TextYesYes
ImagesYesYes
PDFsNoNo
AudioNoNo
VideoNoNo
ReasoningYesNo
Tool callingYesYes
Structured outputNoNo
Availability
WeightsProprietaryOpen
API model ID—qwen2-5-vl-7b-instruct
API providers—1
ReleasedJun 26, 2024Sep 2024
Knowledge cutoffMay 2024Apr 2024
03 — Cost

What would a month cost?

Enter your expected volume in millions of tokens. List prices only; caching and batch discounts would lower these.

  • o4-mini-deep-research—
  • Qwen2.5-VL 7B Instruct$5.60
04 — Questions

Which should you choose?

Which is better: o4-mini-deep-research or Qwen2.5-VL 7B Instruct?

o4-mini-deep-research is the better all-round choice, scoring 49/100 against Qwen2.5-VL 7B Instruct (40). It leads on inputs & features and context window. The score weighs inputs & features 60%, context window 40%. None of the shared benchmarks cover every model here yet, so capability is left out of this verdict.

Which is cheaper, o4-mini-deep-research or Qwen2.5-VL 7B Instruct?

Qwen2.5-VL 7B Instruct is cheaper at $0.35 input / $1.05 output per million tokens (official Alibaba API price). . At a typical mix of three input tokens to one output token, that is $0.525 per million tokens for Qwen2.5-VL 7B Instruct versus . o4-mini-deep-research has no published per-token price.

Which scores higher on benchmarks?

There is no independent benchmark that covers both models yet. o4-mini-deep-research has not been scored yet and Qwen2.5-VL 7B Instruct has not been scored yet.

Which is better for coding?

There are no published SWE-bench Verified results for o4-mini-deep-research and Qwen2.5-VL 7B Instruct yet, so there is no like-for-like coding score. Test both on a sample of your own tasks. Both support tool calling for agent workflows.

Which has the bigger context window?

o4-mini-deep-research has the largest context window at 200,000 tokens, against 131,072 for Qwen2.5-VL 7B Instruct. Maximum output per response: o4-mini-deep-research up to 100,000, Qwen2.5-VL 7B Instruct up to 8,192 tokens.

Which can read images, PDFs, audio or video?

o4-mini-deep-research accepts text and images; Qwen2.5-VL 7B Instruct accepts text and images. They handle the same number of input types.

Are any of these open source?

Qwen2.5-VL 7B Instruct publishes its weights and can be self-hosted; o4-mini-deep-research is proprietary.

Which is newer?

Qwen2.5-VL 7B Instruct is the newest, released Sep 2024. o4-mini-deep-research came out Jun 26, 2024. Knowledge cutoff: o4-mini-deep-research May 2024, Qwen2.5-VL 7B Instruct Apr 2024.

How do you decide the winner?

Each model gets a 0–100 score on capability (50%, independent benchmark results); price (25%, blended price per million tokens (3 input : 1 output), log scale); inputs & features (15%, image, PDF, audio and video input, tool calling, structured output and reasoning); context window (10%, maximum tokens per request, log scale). Dimensions missing for any model are dropped and the remaining weights rescaled, so every model is judged on the same evidence. Specs and prices come from public model listings and the labs’ own API pages; capability scores come from independent benchmark runs. Data updated Oct 4, 2026.